IMPORTANT!
Many SMC classes require the use of a computer with Internet access to reach class resources and/or to complete assignments and/or take exams. To locate a computer lab on campus go to www.smc.edu/acadcomp and click on the “Labs” link.

Political Science

Political science is the academic discipline dedicated to the study of power and justice. Political science has four well-defined subfields: political theory, international relations, comparative politics, and American politics. Courses focus on topics and pressing problems, among them war, law, local, state, and national politics, voting, mass media, public opinion, poverty, human rights, race, gender, ideology, class, international organizations, revolutions, and failed states in all parts of the world. Students in these courses learn to critically analyze not only the behavior of political actors, but also their respective political institutions and political systems. The main objectives are to enable students to use strong analytical skills and critical thinking in their analysis of theories, institutions, and processes.

This course surveys and analyzes the principles, institutions, policies, and politics of U.S. National and California State Governments. Students will use course concepts to situate themselves as citizens and political agents.

Course Number:1612Time:8 a.m.-10:05 a.m. MTWThLocation:HSS 252Instructor:Schultz C KAbove section 1612 is part of the Scholars Program and enrollment is limited to program participants. See Special Programs section of class schedule or smc.edu/scholars for additional information.

POL SC 2, Comparative Government and Politics 3 units

This course surveys the scope and methods of comparative political analysis. It examines democratic, authoritarian, and transitional political systems to illustrate the central theories and ideas in comparative politics. It compares the political structures, processes, and cultures of countries at different levels of economic and social development in several world regions (e.g. Central and Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Central, South and East Asia, and Western and Central Europe).

POL SC 7, International Politics 3 units

This course examines the structure and operation of the international system. Emphasis is placed on the nature and sources of conflict and cooperation and issues of war and peace among states in the international system.

POL SC 31, Introduction to Public Policy 3 units

This course is an introduction to public policy. The course covers core topics in American public policy and focuses on institutions, policy actors, and major theoretical models. In addition, the course covers the nature and practice of policy analysis in order to demonstrate how to employ evaluative criteria in substantive policy areas.

POL SC 51, Political Philosophy 3 units

In this inter-disciplinary course students examine fundamental ideas about politics in the writings of major Western philosophers from the ancient to the contemporary period, and use those ideas to consider and debate current political issues.

Political Science 51 is the same course as Philosophy 51. Students may earn credit for one, but not both.

Course Number:1627Time:8 a.m.-10:05 a.m. MTWThLocation:HSS 154Instructor:Oifer E RAbove section 1627 is part of the Scholars Program and enrollment is limited to program participants. See Special Programs section of class schedule or smc.edu/scholars for additional information.

POL SC 88B, Independent Studies in Political Science 2 units

POL SC 95, Public Policy – Experiential Learning 2 units

Transfer: CSU•Skills Advisory: Political Science 31 and eligibility for English 1.

This course builds upon the content of Political Science 31, Introduction to Public Policy, to provide the student with field experience in the discipline. This course addresses the theoretical underpinnings of democratic civic engagement and is a practicum in public policy in a local setting. In this hands-on course, the student will engage in experiential learning through various governmental and nongovernmental agencies which have a role in developing and/or implementing public policy. The student will develop a reading list, customized to the focus of his/her particular agency, and complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer work with that agency. The course exposes the student to organized, meaningful public policy research and implementation in substantive policy arenas and will be supervised in his/her off-campus experiential learning project pertaining to the development of public policy.